If you're unhappy as an employee, read this.

The story of a terrible employee

Author

Kris Ograbek
May 13, 2023

It's 4:33 AM on Monday.

I got up at 3:55, 5 minutes before my alarm.

My daughter had a nightmare and started crying. So I woke up.

She's asleep now.

The weekend went by quickly.

I try to focus, but words don't come out. I chose a hard topic for this week.

I need a coffee, but it's too early.

For the next 30 minutes, I'll try to write without it.

I have never been a good employee.

Nor I ever will.

(Why is it so hard to write about it?)

I've had my "moments."

Since 2016, I've been working as a software developer. It's my 3rd role since then.

Starting a new role excited me. I had to learn a lot to close the gaps required for the new position.

And I learned quickly.

But this early excitement lasted 3 months.

Then, I got bored.

And when I'm bored, I escape.

So my working routine includes:

  • chess

  • YT for fun

  • social media

  • playing other games

  • and the minimal amount of work.

I've had days when I didn't even touch work.

Hell, I've had such weeks.

And no, not because I had nothing to do.

I learned how to get away with not working at all.

Let me explain why it was terrible for me.

It's 5:27 AM.

I've been writing for almost 60 minutes.

This topic is difficult to write about. I'm only at 250 words now.

But I finally have my dark, hot coffee. Smells and tastes amazing!

Back to the story...

Getting away with not working meant I had to lie.

Because I couldn't provide any results for my work, I had my standard excuses:

  • I'm still struggling with X problem,

  • I've tried solution Y, but it didn't work,

  • I've done the research and I'm about to implement it.
    And many more.

As an employee, I was:

  • lazy

  • bored

  • unmotivated

  • procrastinating

For years I've believed that's who I was.

A lazy, bored, and unmotivated procrastinator.

But the worst part...

I was dishonest.

This whole experience made me miserable.

And I just found out why...

Recently, I defined my core values. BTW, ChatGPT will help you with that.

If you don't know, core values shape your identity. They are your guiding rules for how you live your life and treat others.

So among 15 of my core values, you'll find:

  • Honesty

  • Progress

  • Authenticity

  • Time efficiency

  • Personal fulfillment

Do you see where I'm heading?

And my daily actions contradicted my identity.

When you live against your core values, you feel miserable.

I lived without integrity.

Making this confession publicly feels weird.

I'm describing the years 2017-2019.

Back then, I believed I was a lazy, unmotivated procrastinator.

I believed I would never become successful.

But in 2020, I discovered the other side of me...

Those bursts of high motivation and high performance (when I got excited about new learning) weren't just exceptions.

I learned how to repeat and extend them over time.

Sadly, my best performance didn't come from my day job.

Why?

To explain, you need to see my other core values:

  • Curiosity

  • Freedom

  • Providing value

  • Pursuing passions

  • Intrinsic motivation

  • Teaching and sharing

Satisfying all of them as an employee is impossible.

Note: Let me know if you know an employer who offers them all.

So in 2020, I started having 2 "careers":

  1. Before work. Waking up at 5 AM gave me ~2 hours to work on personal projects and pursue interests.

  2. My 9-5 as a Software Developer.

I loved my first life. I hated my second life.

My first life (the "before work") aligned with my core values.

For 2 hours every day, I was focused, productive, and learned fast.

Of course, it wasn't all perfect. I faced struggles and challenges all the time. But overcoming them felt natural.

For 2 hours, I lived with high integrity.

I was happy.

My second life - my day job - was draining the life out of me.

I hated every second of it. Between 9 AM and 5 PM, I repeated the old mistakes.

I was assigned to the boring stuff. So I kept procrastinating and wasting my time.

I had zero motivation to work because my intrinsic motivation was missing. Lack of motivation was a serious issue...

Because I couldn't focus on my tasks, I couldn't finish them. So I was unproductive.

In April 2021, I broke.

I've completely burned out.

But my burnout was weird...

People burn out because they work too much.

I burned out because I worked too little!

Wasting my time, procrastinating, and being dishonest with my employer tortured me.

The last thing I wanted was to work for my company.

So I handed my resignation a couple of weeks later.

My first life saved me.

Remember this? "I believed I would never be successful."

I truly believed it. And I had lived according to these beliefs.

The "before work" life proved my beliefs wrong.

I've discovered a different version of myself that was:

  • resilient

  • focused

  • consistent

  • productive

  • passionate

But I couldn't recreate these traits as an employee.

So I decided...

"I will never have a boss again."

I gave myself 1 year to replace my salary by making money online. I had saved enough money to stay out of a day job for 12 months.

But I knew nothing about making money online. Worse, I didn't even realize how little I knew.

I failed.

Terribly.

In May 2022, I accepted a new role as a Software Developer.

But it's a story for another time...

But I learned this lesson.

Making money online is a skill. And your job teaches you nothing about it.

From a bad employee to a great solopreneur

At this point, you can tell 2 things about me:

  • I'm a bad employee.

  • I'm bad at making money online.

Yet, I'm certain I'll be a successful solopreneur.

Here are 10 reasons why I'm confident saying it.

  1. I share core values with other solopreneurs

  • Family

  • Freedom

  • Discipline

  • Authenticity

  • Providing Value

  • Intrinsic Motivation

  • Teaching & Sharing

  • Continuous Learning

  • Positive Relationships

The above list of core values is common among solopreneurs.

  1. I love teaching and watching others grow.

Educating people is amazing.

And I believe education businesses are the future.

Learning isn't going anywhere.

Education will continue to impact people's lives.

  1. I focus on value creation.

I already provide value. Although I still do it for free, I enjoy it.

And I learn how to create even more value.

Solopreneurs don't get paid for their time. They get paid for the value they create.

  1. My role models are solopreneurs.

Dan Koe, Justin Welsh, Kieran Drew.

They are among the people I admire.

What do they have in common?

  • They write.

  • They work 4-5 hours a day.

  • They've built huge audiences.

  • They focus on educating others.

  • They run businesses I dream about.

  • They make more money than anyone I know personally.

  • They didn't sacrifice their lifestyle to make even more money.

So I learn how to imitate their success.

  1. I'm a long-term thinker.

I can work for a long time without seeing any results.

As an employee, I see the results of my work once a month (my paycheck).

As a solopreneur, I haven't made any money yet.

And I've been around for over 2 years.

So yeah, I can delay gratification.

  1. I learn sales.

Ethical wealth creation is possible.

But you can't make money online if you can't sell.

Sadly, selling still has a bad reputation. But it's because of the "old school" manipulative selling.

Today's selling is persuasive.

What's the difference between manipulation and persuasion?

In manipulation, every transaction aims to earn money for the seller. The buyer doesn't get what he expected.

In persuasion, every transaction is mutually beneficial. The seller still gets his money. But the buyer receives a tremendous value.

So I learn persuasion for ethical selling.

  1. I learn marketing.

What is marketing in simple words?

This newsletter is my marketing.

It is my way of bonding with you.

It's where I develop my authority and trust.

And it's a place where I'm offering something.

Currently, I offer a free writing guide and a free call.

But soon, the "free" part will disappear.

  1. I will never stop improving.

I've wasted my 20s.

Only at 32, I took responsibility for my life, including my education.

Today I love learning and growing.

As a solopreneur, I'll decide which areas of my life to improve.

  1. Only solopreneurship offers me integrity.

I don't know any job that offers me a living aligned with my core values.

I don't know any place other than building my brand online where I can follow my curiosities and share my discoveries.

Solopreneurship is the profession that allows me to be true to myself.

  1. I'm fine sharing my vulnerabilities.

In January, I got "accused" on Twitter of being a robot.

A friend I met during the Ship 30 for 30 cohort said it half-kidding.

Still, it bothered me.

My first reaction was, "He doesn't get my writing."

My second reaction was, "What's wrong with my writing?"

And I realized my writing was missing ME.

No stories, no weaknesses, no struggles.

So I'm adding them to my writing now. Did you notice?

So yes...

I'm confident my future as a solopreneur looks good :)

Where am I now?

Today, I'm still employed.

I started 2 months ago and I'm kinda excited.

Last week, I showed my boss a fracture of the capabilities of today's AI.

With a colleague of mine, we convinced him to invest money and resources into AI.

Which aligns with my current obsessions.

I've been learning ChatGPT and prompt engineering for the last 2 months in my free time.

Now I get to do it at work :)

I have plenty of intrinsic motivation to work on the new project.

I'm curious about what we're gonna end up with.

Which is great. I know we'll deliver results.

Still, my goal is to quit my job by the end of the year.

And I hope you understand why by now...

Last week's highlights

Let me share what I've been learning and exploring.

Listening to Dan Koe has become my habit:

As I said, I'm in the ChatGPT rabbit hole.

Here's how I can help you.

  1. Book a 1:1 Writing Workshop (still FREE) to discuss your writing, content strategy, and growth.

  2. Steal my Simple Guide for Powerful Writing. Also FREE :)

It is Friday, 7:08 AM.

This newsletter was "maturing" over the last 5 days.

It was tough to write about my experiences as an employee.

But I believe I've delivered a lot of value, especially if you're unhappy at your job.

I wanted to show you that your day job isn't the only option.

With the internet, the possibilities are endless.

Thanks for reading.

See you next week!

Kris